After creating some excitement on Twitter Tuesday night by posting a picture of himself in an Orioles cap, South Korean pitcher Suk-Min Yoon has reportedly come to agreement with the Orioles on a 3 year, $5.75 million deal, pending the dreaded gauntlet of tests that apparently is a physical examination given by Orioles team physicians.
While certainly not the impact move fans have been waiting with baited breath for, signing Yoon (assuming the doctors give the green light) is still a nice development and an example of Dan Duquette’s continued expansion of the Orioles’ international presence. Yoon is a former Korean Baseball Organization MVP (’11) and could prove to be a savvy investment for a team looking for some positive press.
So what do the Orioles have in Yoon? Yoon is a 27 year old right handed pitcher with experience as both a starter and a reliever. Scouting reports have Yoon mixing a hard breaking slider and an above average change up with a fastball that tops out around 92 mph.
It appears the Orioles will have Yoon begin working as a starter and move him to the bullpen if necessary. With question marks at the backend of the bullpen, you can also add Yoon to the list as a dark horse candidate for closer.
Here are some links for additional information on Suk-Min Yoon:
Report by Steve Melewski at MASNSports.com
Suk-Min Yoon Player Profile by GSI
YouTube Video of Suk-Min Yoon Striking Out 14 in the KBO
Yoon Ranked 37th Available Free Agent by ESPN’s Keith Law (Insider Required)
